Then he turned to social and educational activity and study of the local history.

He brought up the problems of national education, medicine and improvements of social welfare.

In 1872 he founded the journal Anthology of Perm Zemstvo (Russian: "Сборник Пермского земства").

[1][2] In 1885 Smyshlyayev visited Jerusalem as a representative of the Imperial Palestina Society.

The Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem appreciated his services and conferred the title of Knight of Holy Sepulchre on him.